Steak Lunch Quesadilla from El Jefe - $6.50

110 Astro Shopping Center, Newark, DE - (302)894-9000

The word quesadilla comes from Spanish, and literally means "little cheesy thing" or "cheesy" (-Wikipedia). Rightfully so, because the best part of this dish is the gooey cheese inside. I've only tried a handful of other dishes here at El Jefe, but this one has quickly moved up to be my favorite amongst the ones I've tasted.

The service can be on the slow side, but it's tolerable. My impatience may also be in part because I'm going there during my work lunch hour.

Enchiladas con Mole from Las Palmas - $11.50

1150 East Ogden Avenue, Naperville, IL - (630) 717-9030

The menu lists this dish as "a rolled corn tortilla stuffed with Seasoned Ground Beef, Marinated Chicken or Cheese, topped with our special mole sauce & melted cheese, garnished with lettuce & tomato." In my case, I paid the extra $1 to substitute skirt steak (so the cost was actually $12.50).

This was my first time trying mole sauce and I was quickly able to detect a subtle chocolatey flavor and as it turns out, mole sauce is typically made with Mexican chocolate as one of its ingredients. Anyway, this blended well with the tender steak and the refried beans. The vegetables felt a little out of place, but that could be because I'm more of a carnivore. Yummy Mexican dish.

Al's Fish Tacos from TGI Friday's - ???

650 South College Avenue, Newark, DE - (302)737-3700

I don't know who Al is, but he sure made some rockin' fish tacos. The order comes with "three flour tortillas filled with crispy, nacho-crusted tilapia, shredded lettuce, corn salsa, and creamy lemon dill remoulade sauce. Served with a side of chips & salsa."

This dish is not so much about the fish as it is the corn salsa and remoulade sauce. MmMM... creamy goodness. I wish it came with more than just three.

Volcano Taco from Taco Bell - $0.89

1501 Governor's Place, Bear, DE - (302)834-4563

The volcano taco is a limited time special from Taco Bell. Although, there's nothing all that special about it. The bright red shell is purely for appearance and has no additional flavor. The inside is identical to a regular taco (lettuce, cheese, beef) with the exception of an additional sauce that adds a mild spiciness to it. This sauce is creamier than the regular hot sauce packets, and I think I prefer it this way.

When you take the price into consideration, these aren't all that bad. You can't expect much for 89 cents, which is the same price as the regular hard tacos, so I still end up ordering these quite often.

Fish Tacos from Ping Pong - $8

3322 North Broadway Street, Chicago, IL - (773)281-7575

These fish tacos are made with tuna tempura, lime-avocado, and guacamole. This is one of those chic restaurants that puts more weight into the appearance of the dish than its quality. That isn't to say the food is bad, but for one thing, these places tend to serve smaller portions. Boo.

That said, these tacos were probably the messiest tacos I've ever eaten. The sauce could've used more kick, because that was the main reason for the mess and I don't
recall any taste to it to make that fiasco worthwhile.

The overall taste was bland especially considering its fancy appearance, and although there was nothing terribly wrong about the dish, I would probably never opt to order it again.

Baja Beef Chalupa from Taco Bell - $1.69

1501 Governor's Place, Bear, DE - (302)834-4563

This is my favorite item off the menu at Taco Bell. The only difference between a chalupa and a regular taco is the shell. They both have beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese in them, but instead of a regular corn tortilla, the chalupa has a fried flour tortilla, and as all Americans should know, fried = better.

The chalupas come in two varieties - Baja or Supreme. The Baja version has a some sort of special sauce while the Supreme has sour creme. Other than that, I'm not sure there's anything else different.

Crunchwrap Supreme from Taco Bell - $2.79

1501 Governor's Place, Bear, DE - (302)834-4563

This a neat little creation by Taco Bell - the crunchwrap supreme. The first picture shows how it's given to you and how it should be eaten. The second picture shows you what it's like when you open it up just to show you what's inside.

If you go by the layers, first, there's a large, soft tortilla, then the beef/chicken and cheese, then a hard taco shell with lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream on top. It looks fairly messy from the 2nd picture, but that's because it's not meant to be opened up.

It's a pretty creative dish for a large chain, and tasty too. The only downside is that if you wait too long to eat it (which might happen when you order a lot), then the hard shell taco gets flaccid and loses its crunch.

Steak Taquitos from Taco Bell - $1.99

1501 Governor's Place, Bear, DE - (302)834-4563

Taquito is just a fancy name for meat and cheese tightly wrapped in a tortilla. Still, this is probably one of my favorite things to order at Taco Bell. It tastes good, it's cheap, and it reheats well. You can choose between steak or chicken (I always choose steak) and it comes with your choice of guacamole, sour cream or salsa (I always choose the guacamole).